An introduction

Hi. My name is James Abbott and I'm a junior from Winston-Salem, NC. My major is Music Business. I could continue to list bland statements about myself such as, "I like ketchup but don't like tomatoes," which is true by the way, but I don't know how beneficial to this class that would be. Instead, I'll offer a little bit about how I think this class is applicable to my personal goals and what I hope to gain from it.

My career path is one that will place me in an industry driven by the consumption of art and other content related to that art. Therefore, I feel that it will be beneficial for me to know something about how art has been perceived and what purpose it has served society throughout history. Should I survive, I hope to walk out of this class with a deeper understanding of the relationship between art, philosophy, history, etc, and its effect(s) on the human condition.

I would like to be able to touch on some of the issues that continue to cross my mind, such as the awkward but necessary marriage of art and commerce inherent in any industry centered around the monetization of art, the idea of good vs. bad art, and the bizarre way in which a piece of art can be loved by one person but hated by the next.

On a completely different note, I thought I would share this art which I found fascinating. Sorry, you'll have to copy & paste the link.

http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2010/07/26/captured-america-in-color-from-1939-1943/2363/

- James